Billiard-cue construction and method of attaching the cue-tip



0. C. LEGER.

lLLlARU cuE CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD oF ATTACHING THE CNE TIP.

APPLICATION FILED OCT- 15. 1919.

l Patented May 18, 1920.

van@ nmrnn STATES PATENT onrrcn OSWALD C. LEGER, OF IiOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

BILLIARD-CUE CONSTRUCTION AND METHOD OF ATTAGHING THE CUE-TIP.

Application filed October 15, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OswALD C. LEGER, a citizen of Great Britain, having declared my intention of becoming a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of Callfornia, haveinvented a new and useful Billiard-Cue Construction and Methods of Attaching the Cue-Tip, of which the following is a specication. Y

This invention relates to billiard cues and also to the method of attaching the tips thereof, and an object of the invention is to provide a tip which is notV liable to become accidentally detached and one lwhich can be readily replaced by a new one in event of accidental detachment or an undesirable amount of wear occurring Another object is to provide a construction which will permit of a screw-threaded attachment of the tip, the construction being such that a frictional lock is provided between the screw-threaded members so as to guard against relative unscrewing of said members.

Another object is to avoid the use of a clamp in securing the tip to the cue.

Other objects and advantages will appear hereinafter.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention Figure l is a longitudinal view of a billiard cue embodying the invention. Y

Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation, partly in section, of the ball-striking end ofthe billiard cue shown in Fig. l. y f Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional velevation on line indicated by s Fig. 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 are plan views partly in section on lines indicated by 4-m4 and fc5-a5, Fig. 3.

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the tip holding member.

Fig. 7 is an inverted plan view ofthe cue tip. V

Fig. 8 is an edge view of the shield.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of the studengaging member. v

Fig. 10 is a plan section on line indicated hymn-$10, Fig. 3'.

Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation on line indicated by 'x11- 0111, Fig. 6.

Fig. 12 is an enlarged vertical section of the stud-engaging member.

The tip proper is indicated at i and is more or less rounded on its outer end and is Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 18, 1920.

Serial No. 380,731.

provided on its inner' end with a dove-tail projection in the form of an annulus 2. The projection 2 seats in an annular recess 3 in the outer end of a tip holding member 4. The side walls of the recess 3 are aslant so as to reduce the recess inwardly. Thus the recess is of dove-tailv shape.

The tip l is made of suitable yielding or buffer material such as leather or the like and, in manufacture, the annulus may be made with its side faces parallel with the aXis of the tip and, before applying to the tip holding member 4, the tip is moistened and then pressed or hammered forcibly into place so as to cause the annulus 2 to spread laterally in the recess and engage the walls of I the recess 3 and substantially fill and fit said recess. The annulus 2 because of the moisture swells and thus grips the recess 3 very tightly andwhen the tip dries theannulus does not shrink to itsoriginal shape but because ofthe dove-tail shape of the annulus and recess continues to be firmly held.

The tip holdingmember 4 is preferably made of fiber or other suitable non-metallic material and Ais provided axially thereof f with a tubular recess 5 to hold a stud engaging member 6. The periphery ofthe stud engaging member 6 is corrugated, the corrugations 7 being slightly aslant to the longitudinal aXis'of the member 6 so that .when said member is driven into the member 'rotation and in manufacture the bore 5 will be made of a diameter corresponding to the diameterA of the member 6 at the root or base of the corrugations 7 so that when the member 6 is driven into the bore 5 the corrugations will cut into the inner surface of the wall of the bore v5 and thus Vsecurely hold the members 4, 6 against relative displacement. Thus to all intents and purposes the member 6 becomes, after assembly, a functional part of the member 4.

The member 6 is provided axially thereof with a screw-threaded .bore r v which 'communicates at its outer end with an enlarged boreV or recess 9. In threading the bore8 the tap is threaded into the bore produced by the drill and stopped when its `point projects slightly into the bore 9, thus caaising remainder of the screw-threads, since the end threads of the tap, as is well understood,

purpose when it is desired to remove the member 4.

To prevent any liability of the stud 11 accidentally engaging the outer end wall of the recess 5 and forcing said wall outwardly land thus disturb the tip, a shield 14 is interposed between the outer end of the stud 11V and said end wall and this shield constitutes a 'further frictional means between the member 4 and the stud to tend to prevent unscrewmg of the member 4, since Vwhen vthe parts are assembled7 the shield 14 seats against the outer end'wa-ll of the recess 5 and the outer end of the stud 11 engages the shield. It is understood that in practice the manufacturer will make and assemble eXtra tips 1, tip holding members 4, stud engaging members 6 and shields 14 so as to form spare units adapted to replace like parts of cues already in use constructed in accordance with this invention, in Vevent of the tip 1 coming loose from the member 4 or becoming obj ectionably Worn.

The advantageV if this construction will be clear when it is considered that at present cue tips are glued directly to the ends or' the cue bodies or stems and when a tip comes oil of such .a cue Yit is necessary to re-glue it and temporarily secure it by a clamp to the 'stem or the cue for several hours or until the glue dries. In the clamping operation the clamp injures the stem of the cue adjacent the tip and it is this tip portion of the cue that rests on or within the hand ofV the player. The depressions and roughness caused by the clamp are very objectionable to the cue .user and in fact are at times serious enough to Vdestroy accuracy in playing. My construction obviates this mai-ring of the Vcue when the replacement of the tip is necessary.

The pin 13, in the manufacture of the cue, is vdriven through a bore 15 of a member 16, said borebeing provided with a shoulder 17 adapted to be engaged by a shoulder 18 on the pin 13. The bore 15 communicates with a larger bore 19 of theA bore 16 and the larger bore k19 receives the reduced end 2() of the body or stem 21 of the cue. The pin 13 besides extending through the bore 15 is driven into an axial bore 22 in the outer end portion of the cue 'stem 21, and the pin 13 is provided at its periphery with longitudinal corrugations 23 which extend slightly aslant to the longitudinal axis of the pin so that when the pin is driven into the bore 22 it will rotate slightly and thus require reverse rotation to extract the pin. In manufacture the bore 22 is made substantially of the same diameter as the corrugated portion of the pin at the bases or roots of the corrugations so that when the pin is driven into place the corrugations 23 cut into the inner surface of the '-.vall of the bore 22. The stem 21 is constructed of any suitable wood and the member 16 may be of ivory or any other desired material that is suitable for the p-urpose. 'The stud 11, stud-engaging member 5, shield 14 and pin 13 are of any suitable metal such, for eX- ample, as brass.

In practice the cue will be constructed as above described and if, in use, the tip 1 comesloose fromthemember4 the member 4 together with the parts permanently attached thereto willbe rotated to unscrew the member 6 from the stud 11 and a similar member 4 with a tip 1 attached thereto and With parts corresponding to the members 6 and 14 assembled therewith will be applied to the stud 11 by rotating the member 4. Thus it is clear that the cues-constructed in accordance with my invention need not be out of service, because of the tip coming oil", for any greater length of time than is necessary to unscrew the member 6 from the stud and replace the parts thus removed With a new Y corresponding assembly of parts forming a spare unit. Nor will the cue be injured so as to tend to destroy the aim o'l.z the user of the cue. y

The invention is not limited in its broader phases to the exact details of construction described above and shown in the drawings, but embraces such changes and modifications as lie Within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim: Y

1. In a cue, a tip holding member provided With an annular dove-tail recess, and a tip having a dove-tail annulns inthe recess and formed of a yielding material vwhich eX- pands when moistened.

2. In a cue, a tip holding member provided With a recess, a stud-engaging member in the recess having a screw-threaded bore and having a larger bore communicating with the screwthreaded bore, the screwthreads nearer the outer end or the bore being initially of smaller diameter than the other screw-threads, a stem, a stud connected with the stem and screw-.threaded to engage the screw-threaded bore and projecting into the larger bore of 4 the stud-engaging member, and ayielding tip fastened to the tipholding member.

3. In a cue, a tip holding member provided With a recess, a stud-engaging member in the recess having a screw-threaded bore, and having a larger bore communicating with the screw-threaded bore, the screwthreads nearer the outer end of the bore being initially of smaller diameter than the other screw-threads, a stem, a pin connected with the stem and provided with a screW- threaded socket, a stud screw-threaded into the socket and into the screw-threaded bore and projecting into the larger bore of the stud-engaging member, and a yielding tip fastened to the tip-holding member.

4. In a cue, a tip holding member provided with a recess, a stud-engaging member in the recess having longitudinal corrugations' slightly aslant to the longitudinal aXis of said member, a stem, and a stud screwthreaded into the .'stud-engaging member and connected with the stem.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 9th day of October, 1919.

OSWALD C. LEGER.

Witnesses:

EDWARD A. WHITE, GEORGE H. HILES. 

